1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for centralizing and controlling a plurality of looms, and more particularly to that for preparing weaving conditions by trial weaving, and storing, reading, and transferring control data bearing the weaving conditions after completing the preparation, and further means for changing control data at need after the preparation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A monitoring system is known up to now as a system to connect many looms with a control computer. The monitoring system collects data of the rates of operations of respective looms and displays them for every loom, but it does not directly control the respective looms.
By contrast, upon actually operating the looms, for example, air jet looms, the respective looms require many control parameters such as a number of RPM of a prime motor of the loom, a number of beatings, tension of a warp yarn, on/off timing of each nozzle, and pressure of air for weft insertion, etc. In an ordinary weaving factory, many looms, not one loom, from several tens to several hundreds thereof, are operated. Moreover, they must often weave the same products. However, provided that the same data are then set for every loom, working efficiency is lowered and requires much time.
So, a centralized control system may be profitably employed, in which a host computer is placed in the center of the factory, and control parameters previously stored in the computer are delivered to control units of respective looms only by entering a product number. Namely, with control parameters for every product stored and kept in the host central computer, a required control data can be immediately sent to the control devices of the respective looms upon starting to weave any fabric.
Then, the recent textile weaving industry intends to obtain highly value-added fabrics, and thus development for yielding new products has been increasing needed. In such a developmental process, the optimum weaving conditions are determined ordinarily with use of one loom as a trial one, while simultaneously changing control conditions of all looms. In this instance, a general-purpose centralized control system as described above may lower rather than raise efficiency of the trial weaving.
In addition, another centralized control device for looms is conventionally known in which control data provided with symbols showing fabric specifications (a number of RPM of a prime motor of a loom, number of beatings, warp tension, and weaving density) are previously registered for every kind of fabrics, and a required control data is delivered to all the looms to permit the looms to be automatically set by designating a symbol showing a fabric specification.
In such prior devices, a data to be registered is in general an average one commonly usable for all the looms. Accordingly, provided that individual looms change in inherent characteristics thereof, the looms can not be operated as desired with the average registered data. Prior art devices suffer from these problems.
In addition, in the prior weaving techniques, upon weaving a new fabric, only a single loom is operated as a testing machine to estimate the optimum control condition while changing for trial weaving many control parameters such for example as a number of RPM of a prime power mover motor of a loom, a number of beatings, warp yarn tensions, on/off timing of each nozzle for weft insertion, etc. In such trial weaving, an operator first provides certain conditions to a loom based on his past experiences and perception, starts weaving, and evaluates the results in succession, in order to estimate the optimum condition with trial and error.
However, such a technique requires much labor and time, as well as a great deal of skill. This is a serious obstacle in quickly supplying woven fabrics to markets based on new specifications since the markets have been recently diversified in demand.